> what I can just leave around mainly for pup to chew recreationally rather than my flipflops ... again
That's the flaw in your plan. Ideally you want your pup to learn that stuff for chewing is NEVER just lying around - it only comes from you. Pups will otherwise look for items that smell of you or that you seem to use a lot!!
I have a chew toy box and I hand out stuff out direct from there - I also try and gather it all back in later so I can give something different next time. All contraband is reclaimed from the thief by it's original owner, usually lured with a biscuit (I've managed to train the kids not to chase the pup when he legs it with something of theirs) and after a short spell of sit/stay/concentrate etc the litter lout gets to choose something from his box of bits. I have a selection of hard chew toys like Nylabone, Tastybones, and softer things he can just carry if he wants to. Admittedly he also steals logs from the wood pile and apples too so I cannot claim to have completely perfected this training tip!! However he seems to really like rummaging for new stuff in his box and can always be tempted to swap if we look suitably excited too :).
A note on
Tastybones or Nylabones - 2 of my dogs manage to chew/play/carry these quite successfully. The other would chew and chew until it was a tiny stump so I still have to be careful with all his toys.
A tip with recreational bones is to give them in the same spot every time and give anxious or guarding dogs theirs in a crate or other enclosed space. My 3 are absolute creatures of habit with their trophy items and they very rarely even look into the other dogs eating positions (one in his crate, one on the paving, one under the apple tree). A puppy pen works well with some dogs too as the panels are flexible enough to fold for easy carrying. I used to keep one in the garage for the puppy to eat his bones in and I'd just position him where I could sit and watch him - he used to take an hour per chicken wing - not any more!!